Meeting a friend
by amateurhour
Summary: Fai runs across a friend he hasn't seen in a while. Will they be traveling together?


Disclaimer: All of the characters contained in this story are the property of the collective manga group called Clamp. No infringement on their rights is intended and this fiction is for entertainment purposes only.

Spoilers: Well, nothing specific, but it is supposed to be after the series conclusion, as in after the final showdown with Fei Wong Reed. Of course since Clamp hasn't written that, I can't exactly spoil it (well…) Oh, and there's an allusion to some of the events in vol. um, 17 I think it is. And if you don't read/know xxxHolic, you probably won't want to bother reading this as it won't make much sense.

I'll save notes for the end.

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"Well, hello there!"

Fai cheerily waved as he greeted the tall young man with dark hair and intense eyes, who turned towards him silently. The magician thought that the traditional Japanese clothing suited him well, as did the aloof expression. He was a sight for sore eyes.

"I've missed you mon ami, mon cherie, as they say around here. It's a very different world, isn't it? So many Tokyos, so few Paris! For once my looks fit in well- not to say you aren't manly as always, but you could use a stylist mon petit japonais."

"Harnn. Fai." He stared at the magician for a moment, then looked around the square. Without returning his eyes to the other man he continued, "What does it matter, clothes are clothes."

"Ahhh, straight to the point as always! So direct, so honest, so wise. I'm surprised you aren't surrounded by a throng of admirers hanging on your every word, just waiting for your pearls of wisdom. 'Clothes are clothes!' I think you may even have grown wiser than even Mokona."

He finally looked back at Fai, with something like slight annoyance on his face. "Stop babbling Fai. I'm busy. Don't you have something you should be doing?" Looking more closely at the other's smiling face and too-casual posture he continued, "You should get more sleep. And get that ankle taken care of." A beat passed. "Are you hungry?"

The mage's eyes narrowed briefly before the smile returned at double strength. He danced around for a moment, making a mockery of the idea that he was injured. "Don't be silly mon ami, I'm fine. How could I not be fine on such a fine day? Everyone is so friendly, the music is so lively, and I have my own personal ray of sunshine standing in front of me! Let's eat, drink and be merry. He grabbed the dark man's hand and swung him around in a brief dance before the other pulled free.

"Shut up idiot. I don't know what you're talking about." He started to walk away. Without looking back he continued, "And I asked if you're hungry."

"But that's not fair. You tell me to be quiet, and then you ask me a question. Oh me, oh my, what can I do?" Fai's smile remained unchanged, but his words were pulled increasing tight. "And you're so mean to ask that, when you know I haven't been hungry since that night with Sakura, and Fei Wong Reed and you and the others. You know that was part of the deal. The price was paid. You're so mean! I'm just going to have to follow you around until you apologize. Now you should bow politely, call me Fai-sama and say 'I'm very sorry for telling you to shut up and then asking you the mean question.'"

"Enough. I'm not the one you're looking for. So stop it." But he stopped walking away and looked at Fai again.

The magician's eyes suddenly looked tired and small. "You really are mean Dômeki-san. Even when you're nice. Kurogane-san and you are alike in many ways."

"Hnn. But I'm not him and, even though you are an idiot, you're not Watanuki. So let's stop this and each keep looking."

Fai wasn't ready to let go of Dômeki yet. "But you're becoming more like him, you know? Kuro-pii was always in a hurry too. He always wanted to be somewhere else, with someone else." Feeling strangely cornered and a bit desperate he lashed out, "Will Watanuki even recognize the new you, all hurried and without your tranquility? And is that violence and aggression I see in your eyes? Just what have you been up to Dômeki-san? And are you still the answer to Watanuki's wish?" He silently hated himself for his own words.

Dômeki sighed irritably and waved his hands, not even bothering to answer the magician's childish taunts. "Say what you mean mage-san. Do you blame me for my wish and the price? I won't hate you for it."

Fai's eyes widened as he remembered past lessons from Mokona and Kurogane. Pushing away those who knew him, understood him and maybe even cared for him…that was the old Fai. He struggled to regain control. "Dômeki, have you seen or heard of either of them?"

Dômeki's increasing short patience was wearing thin. "I heard several legends about young men having bad luck or seeing invisible things. None of them were Watanuki. I haven't been looking for ninja." He needed to move on. Watanuki wasn't here either.

"Hey Dômeki, I've got an idea! Since we've run into each other, maybe we could travel together. Look for both of them at the same time. Work halved goes twice as fast, you know!" He couldn't help it, the old mask slipped in place even as he begged for company he dreaded, and feared and needed.

Dômeki liked Fai well enough, but really couldn't spare any more time for this nonsense. "You know that we were told it was almost impossible that those two would end up together. Just meeting you here means that one or both of us is on the wrong track. Traveling together wouldn't help. Watanuki's not here, I don't know about Kurogane-san. I'm going now."

He couldn't help it, he was both terribly relieved and terribly angry. But most of all terribly alone. Grinning brighter than ever, "Always in a hurry mon ami! A bad trait you share with Kuro-rin. Stop for a moment with me, you're young, you still have time…"

"SHUT UP! What are you talking about?!" Dômeki's patience, constantly stretched since the first time he saved Watanuki from unseen spirits, finally snapped. "There has **never **been enough time. First it was hurry and save Watanuki from this or that, then hurry and help Watanuki understand his value, then hurry, save Watanuki from himself, hurry and make a choice, quick, fast, faster. Every time I thought I couldn't hurry any faster and I would be too late I found I could move faster. But the faster I moved the quicker time ran and…"

Dômeki rubbed his hand on his head, and almost wished the witch or his grandfather was there. But wishes like that weren't really his style, not even now. His anger was rapidly dissipating. "You know, you're too much like Watanuki that way. Never asking for help and making everyone around you scramble when it's nearly too late. Always thinking that you don't have to say the important things now, because there is always tomorrow. Or thinking things couldn't be important, because you were the one to say them."

He saw Fai's expression slowly change from shock to resigned acceptance. He doubted anything he said the entire encounter had truly sunk in.

The mage had been shocked when Dômeki began shouting, then relieved. The young man had passion after all. Fai missed the fire and dedication of his former companions-he had so little left of his own after all the events on Celes. But it was clear that no argument he made, no tricks he might use, would change Dômeki's mind. That was one way in which he was not like Kurogane at all. "So then, Dômeki-san, I guess this means we won't be traveling together after all. I'm sorry to hear that. But I wish you luck in your search. I'm sure you'll find you friend. I'm sorry to have troubled you. Goodbye, Dômeki-san."

"Idiot magician." Fai looked up, surprised that Dômeki was still there. He had expected the young man to be gone before he finished his speech. As if reading Fai's mind he continued, "I'm leaving now, but three things I have to tell you first. One, we have all made our choices - you, me, Kurogane and Watanuki - and even though we're responsible for our own choices alone our pain is felt by our friends. Sharing it makes it easier for everyone. Two, I don't blame you for your choices that night. Neither do the others. And three, when I asked if you were hungry, I meant for regular dinner. You look like crap Fai. You need to start eating 3 meals a day and sleeping 8 hours a night or Kurogane-san is going to kick your ass when he sees you. There is a good restaurant next street over. The waitress, Amelie, seems to know everything in this town. Go there. Just don't order anything that sounds like paté."

Dômeki immediately turned away and walked down a side alley. Before Fai could even react he saw a brief flash f light and knew that he was gone.

"Well now Dômeki, I'll bet that was the longest speech of your entire life. Watanuki will be so upset that he missed it." A small smile briefly lit his face. "Thank you. And…I'll try."

The old mask came back as he grinned at a group of passing girls. It was a very useful mask after all, and if there was no one here to take his hand and claim him he would just have to keep going the only way he knew how. Suddenly he chuckled remembering Dômeki's last comment. _So Kurogane would 'kick my ass' if he could see me now. Such language Dômeki-rin!_ He also though about the young man's earlier words. _So Kuro-pon is responsible for his choice, but it hurts me. And sharing the pain makes it easier? Well, I think I'll just have to 'share' that pain when I do find him. Perhaps using a large stick. We are friends after all._

Friends. He had never even allowed himself to believe that it was true. He was so used to saying one thing, but thinking another he didn't even realize when he was lying to himself anymore. But it was true, Fai and Kurogane were friends. Feeling freer than he had in years the magician began to cross the square. _Well then, I better hurry up and find him, so we can start 'sharing.'_

Walking to the next street over he saw a busy restaurant with a single waitress fluttering between all the customers. Despite the crowd and small staff everyone seemed very happy. He knew this was the right restaurant. As he approached a table suddenly opened up, and the waitress, hers eyes meeting his through a curtain of dark hair, waved him over.

He sat down with a little laugh. The waitress raised her eyebrows slightly, "Are you laughing at me?"

"No, No pretty Amelie! Just….hitsuzen."

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AN: Well, there it is. This actually started out much smaller in my head, with **much **less Dômeki. But all the Fai dialog I wrote came out super-bitchy whiny. So I kept adding Dômeki to balance it ….

I know I tried to squish too much emotion, etc. into a brief scene. It was going to be just a scene showing the state Fai was in. But then once Dômeki got seriously involved I had to have some sort of development going on. Ideally they would have spent several days together and all of this would have transpired more naturally, but Dômeki is in a freaking hurry, even in my head. That and I got so excited to be writing again that I did this in one night and didn't bother to have anyone else (who might have forbidden me to submit it without major re-writes) look at it. :P

As I was writing this I started having ideas for both prequels and sequels. Which may or may not materialize. If so they will almost certainly be separate entries and not just additional chapters to this one.

BTW blame Del Rey for my character name spellings.

Thanks for reading!!


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